Saladin. The noble hero of Islam

Saladin (1138-1193) - perhaps the most famous and revered character of the Muslim world, a cult figure and legendary. He appeared on the historical scene at a critical moment for the Middle East, when Muslims and the new Christians - crusaders from Western Europe fought for the rule. The small Kurdish military leader, Saladin became the ruler of Egypt, Damascus, Mosula, Aleppo, uniting under his authorities the Islamic Middle East, which was fraught up to that time. He began the war against the crusaders, repulsed the sacred city of Jerusalem from them and fought with the diggish with the dull knight of the West - the English king Richard the Lion Heart. Surprisingly, Saladin enjoyed extraordinary authority and respect not only among his subjects, but also among the most implacable enemies - crusaders. Muslim poets and Christian chroniclers equally praised him. What explains this unusual veneration of Saladin? The French author Alber Shamdor, who devoted his book to the history of a warlike sultan, will answer this and other questions